John weeks



(No Model.)

J. WEEKS. DOCK AND VESSEL LEVELING DEVICE.

No. 568,421; Patented Sept. 29, 1896 NITED STATES PATENT rFIcE,

JOHN \VEEKS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO JOHN F. DETTMAR AS EXEOUTOR OF RICHARD DUDGEON, DECEASED.

DOCK AND VESSEL LEVELING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 568,421, dated September 29, 1896.

Application filed November 16,1895. Serial No. 569,153. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN WEEKS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Dock and Vessel Leveling Device, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful device for securing the proper levels between a float or bridge and a scow or other vessel which is to be made fast thereto, so that cars, drays, wagons, 850., may pass from one to the other easily and without any considerable shock.

The drawing hereof illustrates a perspecti ve view showing, generally,the arrangement and relative location of the dock or bridge, the scow, and the leveling hydraulic jacks.

A is a permanent or fixed dock.

B is the bridge or floating dock, supported upon a pontoon O.

D are the pivots or other means whereby the floating dock is attached to the fixed dock.

E E are the truss frames of the floating dock.

F is the scow, barge, or other vessel.

. G Gare the leveling hydraulic jacks, which form the subject of this invention. They are or may be of any preferred construction. I prefer a form specially constructed by me for this purpose, which, inasmuch as it forms the subject-matter of a separate application for Letters Patent, will not be described here, excepting to say that the jack is pivotally connected to the dock, so that movement of the vessel or dock may be permitted without fracture of the jack or any part thereof.

The means for pivotally supporting the jacks are as follows: H is a bracket fastened to the framing of the dock or to a post or other framing upon the vessel, as may be preferred, and J is a wheel rotating upon a suitable axis forming part of the bracket, and

a chain, as shown, passes over the'wheel J, and both ends of it are attached to the head of the jack by which it is supported, and the upper end of the jack bears against the under plate of the bracket and is seated against it.

The operation of the device is as follows: Ordinarily on floating bridges or docks chains and Windlass are employed, they being attached to some stationary part of the structure for the purpose of elevating or depressing the floating end of the dock; but it frequently happens that these devices are not present, or, if they are, that the difference in elevation between the vessel and dock will be such that these chains cannot bring them to a level, so that the dowel timbers, which are used to maintain level between the two as the train or other heavy object passes from one to the other, cannot be manipulated or brought to place. By my invention, therefore, if the chains referred to be Wanting, or if, when present, they cannot effect the proper relation between the two, then my device accomplishes the desired result in the following manner: The rams being in their uppermost position, that is to say, entirely or nearly withdrawn within the cylinders, the vessel is brought up against the dock or bridge and is made fast. Then an operator, preferably upon the vessel, although he may be upon the bridge or dock, if preferred, manipulatesthe pumps of the jack by means of the pumping-lever. The operation of the pumps is too well understood to require detailed description, excepting to say that by their instrumentality the rams of the jacks are forced downwardly, and the relative position of the bridge or dock, the vessel, and the ram is such that the lower end of the rams as they descend engage with the front edge of the vessel, and, .the pumping being continued, one of them is depressed and the other elevated by the pressure applied by the rams of the jacks. When the desired leveling has been secured, the cars, drays, or other vehicles or cargo will easily and without shock pass from one to the other, and if dowel timbers are used they may be properlymanipulated tomaintain the level betainable with any other available apparatus. After the vessel has been loaded or unloaded, as the case may be, and has to leave the dock or bridge by proper manipulation of the jack, as is well understood, the pressure of their rams is relieved, and the vessel is then free to move away.

I do not in this application claim the construction of the hydraulic jack and its attachments, whereby it is peculiarly adapted to the purposes above stated, because it forms the subject-matter of another application for Letters Patent filed by me and pending concurrently herewith, the same being serially numbered 593,120; and I do not in this case claim the details of construction of the parts, since they may be modified and still the essentials of the invention be present.

I claim- 1. In combination with a dock or like structure, a hydraulic jack permanently attached thereto by a pivotal connection and so lo cated thereon as to be in operative position relative to a vessel, when brought up to the dock, for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of a float pivotally connected at its shore end, and a hydraulic jack permanently attached thereto, and so located thereon as to be in operative position relative to a vessel when brought up to the dock, for the purposes set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 8th day of November, A. D. 1895.

JOHN \VEEKS.

\Vitnesses:

PHILLIPS ABBOTT, ARCHIE B. MonRIsoN. 

